Dave Rimmer, Northern
Soul DJ and editor of the informative fanzine Soulful
Kinda Music, has put together this exhaustive
compilation, which catalogues thousands of 45s by artists
who are connected (in some cases, often by just one
release) to the scene.

Also included are
previously unseen artist photographs taken by the author,
label scans of over fifty rare Soul singles, biographies
of over 25 artists, a year of venue reports, and Dave's
forthright views of the contemporary Northern Soul
circuit.

The Rare Soul Bible is
a route map for the serious Soul vinyl addict.

Copies are £25.00,
plus £1.80 postage (UK Price Only).

Postage to Europe Is
£3.50, and to the USA is £6.50.

Further details on
ordering a copy can be obtained by emailing the author here.

A Review
by Dave Godin

The main reason Bee Cool Publishing has
become the front runner in the field of specialised music
publications is, in my view, due to the fact that they
commission the right people to write books for them, and
the results SHOW! There is no substitute for passion!Their latest
book by Dave Rimmer carries on this fine tradition and is
an encyclopedic compendium of 45rpm singles that have, at
some time or another, found favour in terms of spins on
the Northern Soul circuit. However, Dave hasnt just
slavishly done label listings, but has arranged his
entries by artist, which, as anyone who has ever compiled
a discography knows, can be a mine-field with name
changes, records being issued twice on the same label, or
different labels, with different flipsides, and so on.Also too, as
Dave himself makes clear in the text, any such work can
never hope to be complete since a combination
of rare records surfacing and artists amnesia
lifting, will often reveal hidden assets, hidden shame,
hidden naughtiness, and, sometimes, hidden gems.Arranged
alphabetically by artist surname, I was also pleased to
see that some of Daves excellent writing on the
Soul scene has been included, particularly his valuable
piece, the marathon titled, Can 7-Inch 45rpm
American Soul Singles Be Considered To Be Of Significant
Historical Value? A Reasoned Argument. And of
course, it goes without saying that they can, and
Daves reasons are compelling, sound and significant
too! This essay alone is an essential read.Some artists have
biographical information, but where this work is of
particular value is with those footloose artists who
record all over the place! Barbara Jean English is a good
example, and here we have her listed not only in her own
right, but with The Clickettes, The Rinky Dinks, The
Avalons and The Fashions and all label name permutations
in between!Again, if you take a name like Tony Middleton,
it is amazing just how many records (with various label
name credits) this guy has been involved in. And Ike
Turners various involvements cover more than eight
pages! But just flipping through the book is like looking
at a directory of old friends. And not just old friends
who have made records, but our friends who spin them too,
with club reports and various play-lists from those who
have never given up on keeping the faith.Quite simply, this
book is a must for anyone who has ever felt that thrill
when the opening bars grab you, and you want to know more
about whoever it was who has had the power to cast such
an aesthetic spell upon you. And it proves too my oft
repeat point that Black America quite simply managed to
produce so many darned brilliant records that the market
just couldnt absorb them all at one go. So,
probably one of the most valuable services that the
Northern Soul scene ever did was to get around to each
and every one of them bit by bit, and spread the magic
over several decades so that no worthy talent ever really
got lost.Of course there is no substitute for the
aesthetic rush that so many of these records deliver,
but, once youve come down a bit, its nice to
know just who it was who was hitting on you so hard! And
its all here for the perusing. Great stuff. Dave Godin